John Charles McQuaid, archbishop of Dublin from 1940 to 1972, was a colossus of the Catholic Church in his day, famous (or infamous) for his opposition to health minister Noel Browne’s Mother and Child Scheme. Less well known is his pioneering work on Irish emigrant welfare in Britain and his influence on the architecture and planning of Dublin. Join editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Brian Harvey (social researcher), Mary Kenny (The way we were: Catholic Ireland since 1922), David McCullagh (biographer of Eamon de Valera) and Ellen Rowley (architectural historian).

This Hedge School is supported by the National Library of Ireland